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Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Valentine’s Day Festivities Commemorate Carnival’s Third Year-Round Ship in Texas with Day of Celebration for Military
Families Including First Carnival LIVE Outdoor Concert

MIAMI
(Feb. 16, 2015) – Carnival Cruise Line, Texas’ number-one cruise
operator, marked the arrival of Carnival Freedom at its new year-round
homeport of Galveston on Saturday,
Feb. 14, with a celebration honoring U.S. military personnel and their
families.

In
partnership with Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit organization
that supports military families, service members and their families
were treated to an overnight
event featuring a variety of daytime activities, including an exclusive
outdoor Carnival LIVE performance by country music superstar Martina
McBride, along with dinner and a full evening of entertainment, all
compliments of Carnival.

Prior to McBride’s concert, Carnival presented a check in the amount of $100,000 to Operation Homefront.

“We’re
excited to kick off Carnival Freedom’s year-round deployment from
Galveston with a donation to an organization that touches so many lives
and a special event for the
brave men and women who serve our country,” said Christine Duffy,
president of Carnival Cruise Line. “Martina McBride put on a fantastic
show and we were thrilled to honor these deserving military families and
provide them with an incredible day and night
to remember.”

Carnival
Freedom kicked off year-round departures from Galveston yesterday with a
special six-day voyage to Mexico and will launch four- to seven-day
cruises calling at ports
throughout Mexico, the Caribbean, Bahamas and Florida beginning Feb.
21. Carnival Freedom joins Carnival Triumph and Carnival Magic in
Galveston. Together these three ships will carry more than 600,000
passengers annually from Texas — more than any other
cruise line.

McBride,
a 14-time GRAMMY® nominee, performed on Carnival Freedom’s upper deck
in the first Carnival LIVE show staged outdoors. It was her second time
participating in the
Carnival LIVE concert series that offers guests the best live music at
sea from popular acts spanning a variety of musical genres.

“Performing
for these military families was an incredible honor. And everyone
really enjoyed the outdoor setting on the ship’s deck,” said McBride. “I
hope that
everyone who was there had a special Valentine’s Day experience; I’m so
glad I was asked to be part of it.”

“We’re
thrilled Carnival Cruise Line honored these service members and their
families by providing a truly memorable day and evening of onboard fun
and exciting activities,”
said Tim Farrell, chief operating officer for Operation Homefront. “In
that spirit, we're also grateful for Carnival Cruise Line’s generous
gift of $100,000, which will help military families here in Texas and
throughout the country.”

Carnival
Freedom recently underwent a $70 million makeover that added an array
of Fun Ship 2.0 product enhancements, and attendees at Saturday’s event
had full access to the
ship’s many on-board innovations, including new family entertainment
programming such as Seuss at Sea and Camp Ocean featuring 200
marine-themed activities.

The
renovation also included complimentary eateries such as BlueIguana
Cantina, and Guy’s Burger Joint, developed in partnership with Food
Network personality Guy Fieri, along
with exciting new bar concepts BlueIguana Tequila Bar, RedFrog Rum Bar,
the cocktail pharmacy-themed Alchemy Bar and the Caribbean-inspired
RedFrog Pub. Four new high-tech Playlist Productions shows were added,
as well.

For
additional information on the Carnival Freedom or any other “Fun Ship”
vacation, contact any travel agent, call 1-800-CARNIVAL or visit
carnival.com.

Carnival,
a unit of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), is
"The World's Most Popular Cruise Line®" with 24 ships operating three-
to 16-day voyages
to The Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, New
England, Bermuda, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. The
company has two 135,000-ton ships on order - Carnival Vista, scheduled
to enter service in 2016, and an as-yet-unnamed
vessel set to debut in 2018.

About Operation Homefront

A
national nonprofit, Operation Homefront leads more than 2,500
volunteers with nationwide presence who provide emergency and other
financial assistance to the families
of service members and wounded warriors. Operation Homefront has
provided assistance to thousands of military families since its
inception in 2002. Recognized for superior performance by leading
independent charity watchdog groups, nationally, 93 percent of
total donations to Operation Homefront go directly to programs that
provide support to our military families. For more information, go to
www.OperationHomefront.net.